Gaming & Culture —

Dark Souls 3: The return of the king

With Miyazaki back from directing Bloodborne, expectations are high for Dark Souls 3.

This Dark Souls 3 gameplay trailer debuted just a few days ago at Gamescom.

COLOGNE, Germany—There was a time, not so long ago, where video games were obsessed with being more like the seminal third-person action-RPG Dark Souls. Difficulty levels rose, tutorials were removed, and checkpoint systems were crushed. N00bs needed not apply. Despite the rampant mimicry, nothing else has managed to nail that balance of difficulty, sharp combat, and ludicrous boss battles in the way that Dark Souls did.

Well, there is one exception: Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of Dark Souls, removed himself from the second game’s development team, instead choosing to direct the astonishingly good Bloodborne. The result was a game, in Dark Souls 2, that many dedicated DarkSouls fans perceived as the runt of the litter; Miyazaki’s absence lead to a dilution of the game's core pillars.

Thankfully, the third time’s a charm. With Miyazaki back in the hot seat, Dark Souls 3 looks like a fantastic return to form. But here’s the thing: Dark Souls 3, unlike other games, doesn’t want to be more like Dark Souls—it wants to be more like Bloodborne. The commercial and critical success of that PS4 exclusive has led to some interesting developments in Dark Souls 3, many of which fundamentally change the way the game plays. The most obvious is that movement speed has been slightly increased, providing more scope for dodging attacks.

In Bloodborne, the faster speed replaced Dark Souls’ shield: why block when you can dodge? While Dark Souls 3 won’t be doing away with shields, the raised tempo does encourage you to use it less and instead wield a second weapon in your off hand or equip a single, larger weapon that requires the use of both hands. It also reduces the quantity of excuses you can use for when you die. And yeah, you’ll still die. A lot. This is the hardest Dark Souls yet. Extra speed doesn’t equate to reduced challenge.

Weapons and certain attacks have been modified to fit that increased sense of alacrity too. While I only handled a few of the game's tools at Gamescom—and there’s no guarantee that they won’t be altered before launch—there’s definitely more focus on being ballsier during combat. Equip dual scimitars, for instance, and you can spin in a tight circle for a couple of complete revolutions with blades outstretched and damage dealt to all foes in range (pictured in the gallery below). For some reason, this reminded me of the spinning Tasmanian devil Taz of Looney Tunes fame (except, you know, with more giant swords).

Essentially it’s an area-of-effect attack that’s well suited to dealing with tight groups of enemies. Hop into the fray, spin your blades, and hop back out again. Crowd control. It’s not fool proof, however. Using it opens you up to attack, thanks to your defences being down. The decision to employ such an attack is going to come down to your willingness to die (so many times) trying to figure out the perfect timing, and whether you’ve even got the raw skill to actually attempt ridding yourself of the defence safety blanket.

The short bow has also been redesigned. In prior Souls games the only distinction between bows long and short came from name and aesthetic. Functionally, the two weapon types shared the same systems and attributes. During a presentation with a member of the From Software development team, the phrase “play more like Legolas from Lord of the Rings” was uttered. While I’m not quite sure what playing more like Legolas from Lord of the Rings entails, you can now fire off arrows more swiftly and—combined with the extra agility—work medium- and long-range attacks into longer assault combos.

Despite the similarities, Dark Souls 3 does have its own unique feel compared to Bloodborne—those worried about too much crossover have little reason to be concerned. You’re still slower than in Bloodborne, and the lack of any sort of automated health regeneration system forces you to think more keenly about how and when you’re using restorative Estus Flasks and how often you take risks. Then there’s the narrative, which is as cryptic and unassuming as ever—but From Software did claim that you’ll understand more of what’s going on if you’ve ploughed through past Dark Souls titles.

Another thing that hasn’t changed are the epic boss battles. One, called Dancer of the Frigid Valley, was particularly disconcerting thanks to its ambiguous gender, lanky frame, and creepy spindly limbs. This, to say the least, gives the thing an unnerving visual vibe, and it plays into the general sense that you’re adventuring through a disturbed version of our own medieval existence. Like everything else in the Dark Souls world, it wants you dead. The Dancer of the Frigid Valley has a flaming sword that scorches the ground upon contact to create areas of tall flames that limit safe spots on the battlefield. Should you achieve the feat of depleting half of its health bar, you’re rewarded with the reveal of a second sword, this one seemingly imbued with a water element. It’s just as dangerous as the fire stick and… well, I died. A lot.

Really, while the speed alteration does influence play, Dark Souls 3 comes across as more of the same. The major rules, design choices and aesthetics remain all but identical to Miyazaki’s past work, giving the game a feeling of continuity rather than change or adaptation. That’s no bad thing, of course, when a series of such authority and quality is concerned. What it does mean, though, is that if this is not the finest Souls game ever made, it’s most likely going to be seen as a disappointment. That’s what happens when you iterate on a working idea: players expect genuine improvement.

Dark Souls III is due for release on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in early 2016.

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